In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience. But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button. Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, "game over" means certain death-both virtual and real...

It's been a lone time since I've enjoyed a series like this. I love it so far, but I do fear for the romance side of it as I read more of the light novel, but the anime is doing good. Love the art work and the story line has holes, but they're liveable.

So, I've read all of SAO up until and including Mother's rosario. I agree with many that volume one (with it's side stories) made up most of the initial appeal. Personally I liked the side stories, just because it showed some more sides to the world. While many dislike the ALO arc, it still makes for a good story, like the adaptation back into reality. I admit that it pales in comparison to the Aincrad or GGO arc, but it's still good. Now GGO turned the whole story into a deathgame again, maybe not as severe, but that is what made up most of the appeal of the first arc. In my opinion (which is biased since I'm a med student) the mothers rosario arc is the best. First of all there is finally some character development (and background info) on Asuna, which until then was plain (not that I dislike plain characters). Out of personal experience girls with such a background have a high probability of turning out plain in RL too. The thing that annoys me most is the degeneration of the relationship. If the neuro linker works the way I think it works, then essentially everything that happened was real. I really dislike the harem tendencies. For me the series is one of the best out there, even with it's drawbacks.

Anyway, I gotta go figure out where my medical physics prof went and pester about theoretical possibilities. With that I have a good subject for obtaing my mD-deg xD

For all the Aincrad fanatics: I think Kawahara thinks like you guys and because of that rebooted the aincrad series with SAO progressive

The first arc ended. Well, not precisely- the second arc and on we're still enjoyable and fun the read, but they weren't anything spectacular, whereas the first arc was addicting and generally awesome. The first arc in Aincrad is basically standalone, so of you wanted to just read that, I would recommend it- the story is amazing and exciting; Kirito is amazing and brave, but torn, and the whole premise of being trapped in virtual reality is just cool- I've seen it done, but it rarely disappoints. But after the first arc... It becomes a harem, and Kirito is still awesome, but in a more typical way... And the character development, instead of being good, tends to go in the reverse, haha. Still, it's a fun, exciting read, and I really liked it- just a little disappointed in the following arcs.

Volume 1 is truly a masterpiece in my eyes.Like many have said before, the idea of getting stuck in a video game is not new itself. However, KAWAHARA Reki refines the idea making it truly unique. The story is focused on "gaming" but really, the "video game" aspect is only a flavor into what SAO truly stands is, a story of human interaction.

The way the story unfolds actually makes you believe "Yes this can happen", as shmigelpuf says "the story has a perfect balance of action, adventure, and romance".

The main character main seem like an archtype to some typical protagonist, but as you read further, you get to know the protagonist, you get to understand his thought, his actions, his feelings, and brings the story much more alive.

Read this, give it a chance, you will not regret it.

Oh and as darn2k mentioned, Volume 3 and 4 are one story, one arc and only combined do they equal the length of Volume 1. You have to read both to get a good picture and idea of the overall story.

totally unexpected.id seen this novel link in baka-tsuki page long time ago, but stayed away from reading it thinking it a novel based on available online game right now. most of manga based on online game doesnt really interest me since it feel flat.

im glad i read this novel today though..very good story. u could read the vol 1 for stand alone story.vol 2 is more like sidestory which fill the gap between the two years that the 1st vol skim by.which i dont really care.

Vol 3 is the real sequel. which pick up after vol 1 ended. quite a twist to the story though. im looking forward to kirito's new adventure.

This is really a good novel. . it surprised me when i first started reading it. . the way the author made it seem more realistic in a sense that they were really living in a different world that one can only see in one's dreams. . in just the first few chapters i was drawn in. no... i was captivated by it. . the story has a perfect balance of action, adventure, and romance. . though it was a bit ahm. . alarming when i read chapter 16.5.. of volume 1. all in all its a good novel even if I've only read the 1st volume i think the next volumes would still be as great!

(edit) um. . just read vol 1 and 2. . it should have just ended there. . other volumes are meh. . why meh you ask? its like it shifted from epic seinen to shounen. . and the fact when you die in sao you die in real life disappears in the later volumes for me makes it feel that its lost its unique feel and magic. . so yeah the other volumes are meh. . @_@

(Edit) It seems i misjudge the latter volumes. . The fact is i just didn't like the fairy dance arc. . it was just boring and very cliche shounenish. . the following arcs improved a bit and now. . i am loving the alicization arc. . hope it maintains this level of polish. .

In my opinion it is great~~~! I've already seen the anime and i have read up to Volume 10, and i dont find it boring in the least bit!I'm absolutely hoping that the anime gets a second season but until then i shall keep reading the novel. ^.^

I watched the anime (the first arc up until the episode he solo's the boss on whatever floor) but after that I read the novel from the beginning and I have to say they did a good job on keeping most of the novel in the anime unlike manga's and even integrated volume 2 in between.

Even though I skipped volume 2 since it was the side stories I already saw in the anime I skipped it but I do have to say "Sword Art Online" should have ended with the First (maybe the second in other peoples opinion) volume and been renamed something else at the start of the 3rd volume.

It just showed me he didn't plan it that far ahead thinking the popularity would go so far, or he would have named the novel something instead. I have to say the First volume was amazing imo, but the 3rd was unbelievably boring and I dropped it at the 4th volume. But I recently picked it back up again because I kept hearing that the 5-6th volume are worth the hanging in there through the ALO arc.

The major strengths of this story are in how well the writing is done, along with the ability to create an interesting world. The characters are typical, but well written. I love this story: it's one of the few that can make me come back, over and over again.

The first volume is perfect for me. Well, not quite, there are some minor things that felt unnatural for me, but overall I loved every single part of it.

However, I can't say the same for the other volumes. I only read 3 and 4, since those are the ones fully translated, and the first part of volume 2. Volume 2 in itself seems to be a nice compliment for 1, so no problems for me there (I have yet to read all of it though), but 3 and 4... I don't know.

They were okay, but just fell to some more annoying cliches than the first volume, which managed to transform what cliches it had into a good part of its story. V1 even had a hint of seinen, while V3 and 4 felt like flat-out shounen for me and had some very ridiculous moments that killed the "magic" I felt from V1. I won't go into spoilers, but V1 actually felt like something possible and reasonable (so to say), while V3 and V4 felt like an impossible scenario given the big mount of incoherent situations.

Maybe it's just me, but the story is going downhill. If it comes down to it, I'll just mentalize myself to think that V1 was all of Sword Art Online. I'l keep my rate at 10 for now, but it's hard to do so. Overall, I agree with Claudiofd. What was written in Claudiofd's comment, is very close to what I felt when reading this.